Shipping container



Dec. 22, 1931. F. E. BARBER SHIPPING CONTAINER Filed Nov. l, 1928 I5Sheets-Sheet TTHNEYE' De 22, 1931. F. E. BARBER SHIPPING CONTAINER 3Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. l, 1928 /N VEN TDR TTU/@NEVE Dec. 22, 1931. F.E. BARBER SHIPPING CONTAINER Filed Nov. l, 1928 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 TTHNEYSPatented Dec. 22, 1931 UNITED STATES FRANK E. BARBER, OF ONEIDA, NEWYORK SHIPPING CONTAINER Appucation mea November 1, 192s. seriai No.316,383.

This invention relates to a new and improved shipping container.

In shipping certain classes of merchandise, as for example, burialcaskets it is desirable to have a shipping container of suchconstruction that the merchandise may be shipped therein without at anytime coming in contact with the walls or top of the container. This isparticularly true of an article such as a burial casket which is usuallycovered on the outside with cloth or other delicate material which wouldbe injured if it were to come in contact with the shipping containerduring transit. In order to transport caskets in containers in which thecaskets would at no time come in contact with the walls and top of thecontainer it has heretofore been the usual practice to place a casket ina wooden box out of contact with the walls and top of the box and securethe casket in position by the use of screws or bolts extending upwardlythrough the bottom of the container and into the bottom of the casket.Such a method has proved to be unsatisfactory in use because of the factthat it is diiiicult to position the casket in the container and placethe screws or bolts in position. Furthermore such a means of securing acasket in position in a container is not reliable inasmuch as if thecontainer is turned over during transit the casket is liable to pullaway from the screws or bolts and contact with the sides of thecontainer. Such a means of securing a casket in position alsonecessitates the withdrawal of the screws or bolts when it is desired toremove the casket from the container.

The main object of my invention is to provide a shipping container for aburial casket or other article of merchandise which will be of such adesign that when the article is in position in the container it will bepositively held aga-inst any relative movement in relation to thecontainer.

Another object is to provide a shipping container in which a burialcasket or other article of merchandise may be placed with a minimumamount of effort and may be securely fastened in position quickly andsecurely without the use of screws or bolts or similar fastening means.

Another object is to provide a shipping container which may berepeatedly used in shipment.

Other objects and advantages relate to the size, shape and arrangementof parts all as will more fully appear from the following descriptiontaken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is a side elevation of the preferred form of my shippingcontainer.

Figure 2 is a section on line 2 2 of Fig ure 1.

- Figure 3 is a section on line 3 3 of Figure .1.

Figure 4C is a side elevation of an eccentric clamp used with my deviceshowing the straps with which it is used in section.

Figure 5 is a top plan View of an eccentric clamp inposition on thestraps with which it is used.

Figure 6 is a section on line 6 6 of Figure 3.

Figure 7 is a perspective View, partially broken away and partially insection, of a modified anchoring means.

Figure 8 is a perspective view of the part of the anchoring means shownin Figure 7 which is attached to the bottom of a casket.

Figure 9 is a perspective view of the part of the anchoring means shownin Figure 7 which is positioned on the bottom of a shipping container. Y

Figure 10 is a side elevation of a modified form of my device. Y

Figure 11 is a section on line l1 11 of Figure 10.

Figure l2 is a section on line l2 12 of Figure 10.

My shipping container l is preferably made of metal provided withoutwardly extending integral bosses as 2 in spaced relation for thepurpose of stifening the sides and ends of the container.

A plurality, in this case shown as three, of straps 3 encircle the sidesand bottom of the container and are provided at their upper ends withoutwardly extending hooks 4 and 5 into which are received the ends ofeccentric clamps 6 and 7 which are pivotally mounted on the cover 8.Eccentric clamps 6 and 7 are of such a size and shape that when they areengaged with hooks 4 and 5 cover 8 will be securely locked in positionon top of the container 1. Straps 3 are secured to container 1 by meansof bolts 9 and 10, the inner ends of bolts 9 and 10 being T-shaped asindicated in dotted lines on Figure 6 for a purpose hereinafter to bedescribed. v

In the bottom of the container there are formed longitudinally andupwardly eX-. tending parallel tongues 11 and 12 in spaced relation tosides 13 and 14 of container 1. Tongues 11 and 12 are approximately V-shaped in cross section and are shorter than sides 13 and 14. Anotherpair of laterally and upwardly extending parallel tongues 15 and 16 arepositioned in spaced relation to the end walls 17 and 18 of thecontainer, tongues 15 and 16 being shorter than the width of ends 17 and18 and being also approximately V -shaped in cross section.

The article of merchandise to be transported, which I have here shown asa burial casket 19, is provided on its under surface with V-slots as 20and 21 of a size and shape to receive tongues 12 and 11 when the casketis in position in container 1. I also provide in the under surface ofcasket 19 another pair of opposed V-slots of a size and shape and sopositioned as to receive therein tongues 15 and 16 when casket 19 is inposition in container 1, such last mentioned V-slots not being shown.

lith casket 19 in position in container 1, as indicated in Figure 3,with tongues 11 and 12 in V-slots 21 and 20, and with tongues 15 and 16in the V-slots which are provided to receive them, it will be obviousthat the casket 19 will be held against longitudinal and also againstlateral movement on the bottom of container 1.

For the purpose of securing casket 19 in position on tongues 11, 12, 15and 16 I provide a plurality of straps 22 and 23, strap 22 being securedto bolt 9 and strap 23 being secured to bolt 10, it being understoodthat each of the bolts 9 which secures one end of strap 3 will beprovided with a strap 22 and each of the bolts 10 which secures theopposite end of a strap 3 will be supplied with a strap 23. One end ofstrap 22, as perhaps may best be seen from Figure 6, is provided with arectangular slot 24 so that in a horizontal position it may be slippedover the T- end 25 of bolt 9 so that when it is moved to the verticalposition it will be secured on boli 9. Similarly an end of strap 23 isprovided with a rectangular slot so that it may be secured to the T-endof bolt 10.

As perhaps may best be seen from Figures 4 and 5, strap 2-3 is providedwith a plurality,

i in this case shown as two, of slots 26. Strap 22 is provided with aneccentric clamp I27 having a handle 28 pivotally mounted on a yoke 29secured to strap 22 and having a yoke 30 pivotally mounted on the handle28. Yoke 30 is provided at one end with a hook 31 of a size and shape toenter either of the slots 26. lVhen eccentric clamp 27 is in theposition shown in dotted lines in Figure 4, the hook 31 may be insertedin a slot 26 in strap 23 and when handle 28 is then placed downwardlyinto the position shown in heavy lines in Figure 4, straps `22 and 23will be pulled together on the upper surface of cover 32 of casket 19 tosecure the latter against any vertical movement in container 1. Thepurpose of providing a plurality of slots 26 in strap 22 is to permitthe shortening of the combined lengths of straps 22 and 23 so that theywill be adapted to secure in position in container 1 caskets of varyingheights.

In Figures 10, 11 and 12 I have shown a slightly modified form of mydevice in which the shipping container 33 is constructed of woodcarrying a plurality, in this case shown as three, of straps 34 havingat their upper ends hooks 35 and 36 by means of which eccentric clamps37 and 38 lock the cover 39 onto the top of the container 33.

In this embodiment the tongues 39, 40, 41 and 42 are formed of strips ofwood approximately triangular in cross section and secured to the bottom43 of the container by screws 44 or other convenient means. The size andlocation of tongues 39, 40, 41 and 42 is similar to the size andlocation of tongues 11, 12, 15 and 16 heretofore described. I provide onthe inside of container 33 a strap 45 carrying an eccentric clamp 46having one end positioned in a slot, not shown, in a strap 47. One endof strap is secured to a bolt 48 in one end of a strap 44, and one endof strap 47 is secured to a bolt 49 extending through the other end of astrap 34. It will be understood that each of the straps 34 have similarstraps 45 and 47 secured thereto. Straps 45 and 47 through eccentricclamp 46 function in the same way to secure a casket 50 in the container33 as do straps 22 and 23 and eccentric clamp 6 function to secure acasket 19 in container 1.

In Figures 8 and 9 I have shown devices which may be used with casketshaving a flat wooden bottom to secure such a casket in a containerhaving a wooden bottom. As shown in Figure 7, a U-shaped tongue 51having a plurality, in this case shown as eight, of vertically extendingprongs 52 is positioned on the bottom 54 of a casket, a fragmentarypiece of such bottom 54 with the tongue 51 in position being shown inFig. 7. An approximately `rtl-shaped tongue 55 having` a substantiallyU-shaped central portion and depending flanges 56 and 57 carrying ontheir bottom edges a plurality of depending prongs is positioned on theupper surface of the bottom 59 of a container in a position to receivein the U-shaped portion of the tongue 51, as shown in Figure 7. Altho Ihave only shown one tongue 51 and one tongue 55 it Will be understoodthat When a casket is to be secured in a container by means of tongues51 and 55 a plurality of such tongues Will be used so that the casketWill be held against both longitudinal and lateral movement in relationto the container.

When these last described tongues are used in the manner just describedit will be Linderstood that straps similar to straps 22 and 23V Will besecured to the inner surface of the sides of the container so that thecasket may be held securely in position on the tongues 51 and 55. Itwill also be understood that altho I have shown tongues 11, 12, 15 and16 as substantially V-shaped in cross section and have shown tongues 39,40, 41 and 42 as substantially triangular in cross section, the exactshape of such tongues may be varied as desired. F or example, they maybe halfround in cross section, square in cross section or any othershape Which Will permit the positioning of the tongues on the uppersurface of the bottom of the container in the recesses or slots in theunder surface of the bottom of the casket or other merchandise beingshipped.

It Will also be understood that altho I have shown a special arrangementfor securing the casket in position on the tongues in the container bymeans of straps connected by eccentric clamps, other means may beemployed to secure the casket in position so that during transportationthe tongues in the container cannot move from the slots or recesses inthe bottom of the casket.

It will also be understood that the exact Y size and position of theguides and the corresponding slots or recesses may be varied to aconsiderable degree, the only requirement being that they shall be ofsuch a size and in such positions that they Will prevent relativelongitudinal and lateral movement of the casket or other merchandise inrelation to the container.

It Will also be understood that means other than the hooks and eccentricclamps herein described may be employed for securing the cover of thecontainer in place, for altho I have shown and described a specificstructure and form of part as embodiments of exempliiications of myinvention I do not desire to restrict myself to the exact size, shape orrelation of parts as various changes may be made Within the scope of theappended claims.

That I claim is:

1. In a shipping container having a bottom and side Walls, a verticallyand longitudinally extending tongue on the bottom of the container and avertically and laterally extending tongue on the bottom of thecontainer, said tongues being in spaced relation to the Walls of thecontainer and being adapted to seat in slots in the bottom of an articlebeing ship ed.

2. n a shipping container having a bottom and side Walls, a verticallyand longitudinally extending tongue on the bottom of the container and avertically and laterally extending tongue on the bottom of thecontainer, said tongues being in spaced relation to the Walls of thecontainer and being adapted to seat in slots in the bottom of an articlebeing shipped, and means adapted to secure an article being shipped inposition on such tongues.

3. In a shipping container having a bottom and side walls, a verticallyextending tongue on the bottom of the container, and a second verticallyextending tongue on the bottom of the container in angular relation tothe first mentioned tongue, said tongues being in spaced relation to theWalls of the container and being adapted to seat in slots in the bottomof an article being shipped.

4. In a shipping container having a bottoni and side Walls, a verticallyextending tongue on the bottom of the container, a second verticallyextending tongue on the bottom of the container in angular relation tothe first mentioned tongue, said tongues being in spaced relation to theWalls of the container and being adapted to seatin slots in the bottomof an article being shipped, and means adapted to secure an articlebeing shipped in position on such tongues.

In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 24th day of October,1928.

FRANK E. BARBER.

